Stacker crane and warehouse system and method for stacking and storing rolls of material



A. A. DAVIS ETAL STACKER CRANE AND WAREHOSE SYSTEM AND METHOD FORSTACKING' AND STORING' ROLLS OF MATERIAL Filed Feb. 21, 1968 3Sheets-Sheet 1 March 10, 1910 March 10, 1910 A. A. DAVIS ETAL STACKERCRANE AND WAREHOUSE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STACKING 'ND STORING ROLLS OFMATERIAL F1ed Febl 21, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR A. DAVIS y MARTIN L.LEIBWITZ 4%!WEX March 10, 1970 A. A. DAVISETAL 3499,554

STACKER CRANE AND WAREHOUSE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STACKING AND STORINGROLLS OF MATERIAL Filed Feb. 21, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet :s

MARTIN v LE|BOWITZ BY United States Patent U.S. Cl. 214-16.4 7 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to stacking, storage,and marshalling for delivery rolled material such as carpeting, textilematerial, or the like, rolled and preferably packaged around a corethrough which a ram of the crane may be inserted for lifting and movingsame. The method is to pick up such rolled units fiom a pick-up anddelivery station to be placed onto storage racks by means of the cranesystem. The essence of the apparatus of the invention is the provisionof a load carriage adapted to be moved by the crane apparatusto-ditferent points and at different levels within the pick-up, deliveryand storage areas of the warehouse, said load carriage being mounted ona mast, said mast being capable of 360 degrees rotation, said loadcarriage being adapted to move to different height levels with relationto the mast, and said load carriage having a plurality of ramshorizontally disposed, and each adapted to 90 degree rotation in ahorizontal plane, said mast being adapted to be moved throughout thearea of the pick-up and delivery and warehouse portions covered by thecrane.

This invention relates more particularly to stacker cranes andwarehouses, and most particularly to such equipment for storing carpetsor rolled material having an internal core, and the methods of storingsuch materials.

Stacker cranes of various types are well known in the art and may beoperated either manually or by mechanical means, or usually byelectrical propulsion. These cranes may be supported from the roof orceiling of the warehouse area, as well as trom columns, rack or fl001',and may comprise at least one set of rails on which a bridge may travelto and fro in one direction, a trolley mounted on the bridge to travelto and from in a perpendicular direction, and a mast or other meansdepending fiom the trolley on which a load carriage is mounted, beingadapted to move up and down on the mast. In this way the load carriagemay be moved to practically any portion of the warehouse area within thearea defined by the rails on which the bridge is supported.

In the stacker crane described in the invention, the various parts maybe moved by means of electric motors and electrical controls. Inasmuchas the actual propulsion units and the controls therefor are well knownin the art, these units and their means of control will not be shown inany detail, and may be referred to in the drawings and specificationhereinbelow to indicate their presence and purpose with respect to theinvention. However, if such units and control means are not mentionedwith respect to any particular part of the invention, it is to beunderstood that they may be incorporated or employed where usual ornecessary in accordance with the manner, means and teachings of theprior art.

Stacker cranes of the type described are suited for the handling of manytypes of material and placing such material on racks for storage forfuture needs. However, most of the types of material stored by suchcranes in 3,499554 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 warehouses are in squarepackages or in packages which may otherwise be handled in multiple by afork lift or the like; or if the merchandise -to be handled is a rolledarticle rolled around a core, it may be lifted and moved by a stackercrane by means of a ram which is inserted into the core. When using aram accessory on the equipment of the prior art, it is usually possibleto handle only one package at a time, and there must be suflicient aisleWidth between racks to permit the prior art equpment room to operate.

In an average warehouse, there may be rows of racks several hundred feetlong along which the bridge must travel, and then there is the sidewisedistance which the trolley must travel for placing and removing eachpackage. With a bridge travel speed of approximately 200 feet per minutein the usual type of stacker crane, if the distance to be travelled intoeach aisel of racks is only 150 feet, it will be seen that over oneminute is required for travel from the pick-up and delivery area intothe storage area and return. It would, therefore, be of great advantage1f a device could be devised which could handle more than one packagewith ram means for each trip into the stacks and back.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a stacker cranefor use in warehousing in which there is PI'OVISOII for a plurality oframs on the load carriage so that more than one package having a centercore can be handled by the load carriage for each run.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a stacl ercrane with a load carriage having a plurality of rams 111 which each ofthe rams is adapted to rotate degrees on a horizontal plane so thatindividual packages may be turned and moved in a different direction forstackrng without rotating the entire load carriage thereby permrttingnarrower aisle space between racks.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the speciticat1onhereinbelow. These objects are attained with the mvention as illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a warehouse and factory area;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stacker crane apparatus andportionof the storage racks;

F IG. 3 is a top plan view of the load carriage of the device With partsdotted to show different positions;

FIG. 4 is a detail of the pick-up and delivery station;

FIG. 5 is a detail of FIG. 1 with the load carriage and the rams shownin different positions;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the load carriage and the ramsshown in different positions; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the load carriage and the ramsshown in different positions.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, we see a warehouse layout 20adjoining a factory or processing plant 22. Packaged materials 46 suchas carpets in packages rolled around a hollow core are conveyed from thefactory or finishing plant 22 in the direction of arrow A by means of ausual type of conveyor mechanism 24 to the warehouse building, or room,20 where they continue in the direction of arrows B, on a conveyormechaherein are packages such as the rolled type packages 3 illustratedin FIGS. 2 and 4 of the drawings in which there is a hollow central coreform 40 around which carpeting 42 is rolled, and having an outercovering 44 to protect the carpeting; with all of these components beingmade into a package 46 around the hollow core 40. Although packages 46may be of various sizes, the invention will be illustrated with apackage 46 which is approximately feet long and approximately 2 to 2%.feet in diameter, as this size package Will usually result from rollingup a standard length of 4'6 width carpet ing which is a very popularwidth in the carpeting trade.

While description of the invention is made in connection with rolledcarpeting of this size, the invention may be used with any similar typeof rolled package material and with such packages of various sizes. Itis, there .fore, to be understood that the term carpet package or anyother term as included here in which would refer to carpets or carpetingmay be applied equally to similar rolled materials. It is also to beunderstood that the invention may be used with any packaged materialwhich may be packaged in a package having a hollow central core adaptedto be lifted and moved by the ram of a crane or other such machinery,and the term rolled package or package with hollow core shall beunderstood t0 mean any package made by either placing materials around acore or by packing materials in a container around a core.

The method of the invention provides for the steps of providing awarehousing space which may be a separate warehouse 01 adjacent to afactory or finishing plant or the like, or adjacent to a retailestablishment. The next step is to provide the warehouse area withstorage racks such as racks 32 through 38 inclusive to store the rolledpackages 46. The storage racks 32 through 38 should be substantially aswide as the length of the packages 46 as the packages are placedtransversely across the shelves 50 of the racks.

In a preferred form of the invention, racks are provided with uprightstandards 52 to support the shelf means 50. A suflicient distancebetween supports 52 to provide for five rolls 46 between supports givessufficient room for maneuvering the packages 46 onto and ofi the shelves50. The type and construction of the racks 32 through 38 is optional. Wehave found that steel racks are admirably suited to the invention. Thenumber of tiers or shelves 50 and the positioning of the supports 52 isalso optional, the parameters given being preferred for the type ofoperation illustrated.

While we are illustrating the invention with respect to four racks 32through 38 inclusive, which we shall term a. bridge stacking unit 54,there may be many other additional bridge stacking units such as the oneillustrated at reference numeral 56 lateral to illustrated bridgestaaking unit 54. It is to be understood that whatever is said aboutbridge stacking unit 54 would also apply to bridge stacking unit 56 andany other similar unit combined into the warehouse arrangement. The termbridge stacking unit is used because the racks included therein can beserviced by a single bridge of the crane assembly as Will be pointed outhereinbelow. Trolleys of the crane assembly can be moved trom one bridgestacking unit to another by the usual bridge cross-evers which are wellknown to the art.

The next step of the method of the invention includes the provision of acrane assembly and its mechanism including a load carriage 70 with aplurality of rams 72 having 90 degree horizontal rotation. The craneassembly comprises a pair of rails 60 disposed at the sides of eachbridge stacking unit 54 or 56. A bridge means 62 is suspended from theoverhead rails 60 and is adapted to move throughout the length of thebridgestacking unit 54. Bridge 62 has a trolley 64 mounted on it whichis adapted to move for the length of the bridge 62 in direc tionsperpendicular to the direction of the movement of the bridge on therails. The trolley 64 is provided with a mast 66 which dependsdownwardly toward the floor of the warehouse, and the mast 66 is adaptedfor 360. degree rotation with respect to the trolley.The mast 66 isusually provided with a pair of upright members or guides 68 onto whicha load carriage 70 is movably supported for movement in a verticaldirection along support members 68. Load carriage 70 is provided with aplurality of ram means 72 which are rotatably supported by means ofhinge assemblys 74, and are adapted for 90 degree rotation as indicatedin FIG. 3 of the drawings. Dotted ram 72a has been rotated 45 degreesand dotted ram 72b has been rotated 90 degrees on their respectivehinges 74. We have found that the preferred number of rams 72 to beplaced on the load carriage is f0ur, one being placed at each corner.

We refer now to FIG. 1 of the drawings in whichthere is a load carriagedisposed between two racks such as racks 32 and 34. All four rams 72 aredisposed in longitudinal parallel relationship parallel to the directionof travel of the load carriage down the aisle 76 between the racks. Loadcarriage 70 has four rolled units 46 disposed on its rams 72.-These havebeen designatedas 16a, 46b, 46c and 46d. These rolled units are beingcarried down aisle 76 to be placed within the racks 32 and 34respectively at positions marked a, b and c respectively as shown inFIG. 1. The rolled units 46 have already been picked up from pick-up anddelivery stations 28 and 30 as follows:

Reference is now made to the dotted line portion of bridge 62 which isnow located on its pair of rai s or bridge travel guide means 60 at theextreme right hand portion of FIG. 1. The load carriage has been movedto be level with the lower level 80 of pick-up station 30 at whichrolled units 46a and 46b were stationed after having been deliveredalong conveyor 26. These rolled units 46a and 46b were picked up bymoving rams 72 into their cores 40, and raising the load carriageslightly, and.then moving it along the bridge together with the mast andthe trolley toward pick-up and delivery station 28. Just before reachingpickup and delivery station 28, load carriage 70 was again loweredslightly so as .to be in a position to pick up rolled units 46c and 46d.from the lower level 80 of pick-up station 28. This is the-position asshown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. Immediately afterward, the loadcarriage 70 is continued in its movement toward pick-up station 28 untilrams 72 are placed within cores 40 of rolled units 460 and 46d. Thenload carriage 70 is again raised slightly to lift the rolled units 46cand 46d, and is again moved back along the bridge pathway. At the sametime, the bridge 62 may be moved toward the left of FIG. 1 until theload carriage 70 has its center portion immediately over dotted circle Ras shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

When in such position, the load carriage may be rotated degrees in acounter clockwise direction to point the rams and their load in adirection parallel to the length of aisle 76. Bridge 62 is then movedfurther to the left and at the same time load carriage 70 is movedtoward the top of FIG. 1 until it is aligned in the center of aisle 76as shown in the solid lines of FIG. 1. It is to be understood thatbridge 62, trolley 64, mast66, load carriage 70 and rams 72 are allmoved by conventional means well known in the art which need not bedescribed at length herein. Suffice it to say that sufficient structureand power mechanism is provided so that the load carriage can be movedto substantially any portion within the area defined by a bridge unitsuch as bridge unit 54 01 56, and substantially for the height of thearea in which the bridge unit is contained.

One way of doing this is, of course, to provide rails such as rails 60along which the bridge may move together with cables or other meansattached to drive mechanisms and motors and control devices adapted tomove the bridge 62 along its rails 60. In the same manner, trolly 64 isadapted to move along bridge 62 by drive mechanisms and power means anddrive control means. Mast 68 is also adapted to rotate for at least 360degrees on a proper pivotting or rotating means connected to trolley 64and through a proper drive mechanism and control mechanism.

Load carrage 70 is adapted to be raised and lowered in a manner similarto that of an elevator cab along mast 68 by cables, drive transmissions,motors, control means or other means well known to the art. Finally,rams 72 are adapted to rotate laterally on theirhinges 74 by drivemechanisms and control mechanisms also well known to the art.

It is to be understoo'd that the power to drive the various mechanismsmay be in the form of any motive power known to the art including animalor human power, and that any suitable drive transmissions and controlmechanisms can be supplied. It is preferable that the control mechansmsbe placed within the load carrage in which provsion may be made for anoperator of the apparatus to be stationed as at reference numeral 82.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the load carrage 70 is now moving in adirection identified by arrow L. In order to place rolled unit 46a inspace a on rack 34, the load carrage 70 is moved as close to rack 32 aspossble and ram 72, on which unit 4611 is being carried, is rotated (asshown in FIG. 5) from its position parallel to asle 76, laterally for 90degrees so that ram 72 will point directly toward space a in rack 34 (asillustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings). Then load carrage 70 is movedtoward rack 34 until rolled unit 46a is directly over a shelf 50 (asshown in FIG. 6). Load carrage 70 is then lowered slghtly to permit ram72 to be withdrawn from the core 40 of rolled unit 46a and ram 72, uponwhich rolled unit 46b is placed, is rotated 90 degrees in a clockwisedirection, as shown in FIG. 6. Load carrage 70 is then moved toward rack32 whle raising it slghtly so that rolled unit 46b can be placed overshelf 50 as shown in FIG. 7. The first ram 72 can then be returned to aparallel position to asle 76, and the third ram 72, on which unit 46c iscarried, may be rotated 90 degrees in a clockwise direction. Loadcarrage 70 is again lowered slghtly to permit Withdrawal of the secondram 72 and moved again across asle 76 to be raised slghtly to placerolled unit 46c over shelf 50, again in the position designated C, atwhich time the load carrage is again lowered slghtly to permitwithdrawal of the third ram 72, leaving load carrage 70 with only rolledunit 46d on a ram. Rolled unit 46d may then be moved on the load carrage70 to a position in asle 78 and placed in position d of shelf 50 of rack38 in the same manner.

Thus, roller units 46 can be picked up from the pick-up and deliverystations and stacked on any shelf of any rack within any bridge unit ofthe warehouse. The aisles such as aisles 76 and 78 may be made as narrowas the width of the load carrage 70 plus one loaded ram extendedlaterally, thereby providing a great economy of saving in asle space. Inaddition, at least four rolled units may be moved at one time by theapparatus.

A master chart may be kept of the varous shelf spaces in the warehouseso that the operator can place any given rolled unit on any given shelfspace for future reference. When it is desired to remove one or morerolled units 46 from the shelves, the proper units are picked up by theload carrage 70 and its rams 72 by reversing the above describedprocedure. Since the mast can rotate 360 degrees and each ram can rotate90 degrees, and rolled unit 46 may be picked up from any portion of thewarehouse and delivered to a delivery station such as the upper stationportion 84 of either pick-up or delivery station 28 or 30. Such units 46may then be easily rolled to upper conveyor 26a and then moved off inthe direction of arrows D to a delivery vehicle or other delivery pont.

Wherefore we claim:

1. The combination of a storage structure having a main frame comprisingat least one pair of facing storage stacks with an asle between saidpair of storage stacks, and a crane apparatus comprising bridge means,bridge travel guide means, trolley means adapted to ride the bridgemeans comprising rotatable mast means with load carrage means adapted totraverse said mast means, said load carrage means comprising a pluralityof corners with vertical hinge means mounted adjacent at least two ofsaid corners of said load carrage means, ncluding a ram mounted on eachof said hinge means for rotaton about a vertical axis, and means forrotating said rams on said hinge means independently of each other, andcontrol means for the combination associated with said load carrage.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 in further combination with atleast one package having a centrally located hollow core, saidcombination being adapted to move a selected ram into the core of thepackage whereby to lift said package by raising said load carrage and tomove said package by moving said trolley from a position within an areadefined by the travel of said bridge means to another position withinsaid area to place said package at such other position, with saidapparatus being further adapted to lower said load carrage and move saidload carrage away from said package leaving said package at said secondmentoned position.

3. The combination as defined in claim 2, in which the package iscomprised of rolled material having a hollow central core.

4. The combination as defined in claim 3, in which the package containsrolled carpeting material or the like packed as a rolled unit with ahollow core.

5. A method for storing and stacking and handling packages having ahollow core which comprises the steps of providing at least one storagestack, having a plurality of racks and having a front edge on which tostore a plurality of hollow core packages, and at least one load carragehaving a plurality of corners with vertical ram hinge means mountedadjacent at least two corners hav ing a ram mounted on each of said ramhinge means for rotaton about a vertical axis, each of said rams beingadapted to fit in the hollow core of a package; then moving said loadcarrage with a ram substantially perpendicular to said front edge towardsaid storage stack to place a first ram within the hollow core of afirst package stored at a first position on the stack, then lifting theload carrage until the hollow core of the package rests on said firstram, then moving the load carrage away from said first storage stackposition, then rotating said first package on said first ram on thevertical axis of said ram hinge until the ram is substantially parallelt0 said front edge, then rotating a second ram to a positionsubstantially perpendicular to said front edge of said storage stack,then movng said load carrage toward said storage stack to place saidsecond ram within the hollow core of a second package stored on a secondposition of said storage stack, then lifting the load carrage until thehollow core of the second package tests on said second ram, then movingthe load carrage away from said second storage stack position, thenrotating said second ram on the vertical axis of its ram hinge until thesecond ram is substantially parallel to the front edge of the storagestack.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 which includes' the preliminarysteps of placing hollow core packages on the storage stack by rotating apair of rams on said load carrage to positions parallel with each otherand then lifting a pair of hollow core packages on said rams, thenrotating each of said rams degrees and moving said load carrage towardsaid front edge so that said rams are parallel to said front edge, thenrotating a first ram so that it is substantially perpendicular to saidfront edge and I'noving the load carrage to place a package over a firstrack position, then lowering the load carrage to leave the package onsaid rack position, and then repeating the steps necessary to unload thesecond package on FOREIGN PATENTS a second rack position. 690 736 6/1930F 7. The method as defined in claim 5 whch includes 232336 the steps ofmoving the load carriage to a postion 808338 7 /1951 Germany remote fromthe storage stack and rotatng the sad rams 5 1 45 4 11/1966 German to aposrnon 1n wh1ch they are substant1ally parallel to 573 683 4/1959Canada each other, and then unloading the packages in parallelrelaflonshlP- GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 1 2,271,624 2/1942 COChIaII 214731 2765,92810/1956 Riemenschneder 214-16.4 X 731 3,268,97 8/1966 Armington et al214-730 0 R. B. JOI-INSON, Assistant Examiner

